Data from: Seasonal variation in behavioral thermoregulation and predator avoidance in a small mammal

Understanding behavioral responses of animals to the thermal environment
is of increasing importance under changing climate regimes.
Thermoregulatory behaviors, such as exploitation of thermal refugia or
temporal partitioning of activity, can buffer organisms against hot and
cold thermal extremes but may conflict with other life history needs. Our
objective was to evaluate strategies for behavioral thermoregulation by a
small-bodied endotherm to test hypotheses about tradeoffs between thermal
and security needs across seasons. We quantified the influence of both
thermal and security properties of habitat on selection of rest sites by
pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis), and we identified environmental
and endogenous factors affecting levels of activity during summer and
winter. Behavioral strategies varied seasonally in response to both
thermal challenges and risk of predation. During summer, rabbits selected
rest sites with high concealment and low shortwave radiation, but activity
levels were independent of ambient temperature. During winter, however,
security, but not thermal properties, influenced selection of rest sites,
and activity was positively correlated with ambient temperature during the
most thermally stressful periods of the day (dawn, dusk, and night). The
types of nuanced behavioral plasticity that we documented in response to
the thermal environment is likely to be overlooked in evaluations of
species tolerance to changing climates. Understanding the potential for
behavior to buffer individuals as well as the limits of behavior to shield
populations from consequences of climate change is critical for effective
conservation of vulnerable species.